Clothes basket bail and hanger



Feb. 4, 1941. J. HYDE CLOTHES BASKET BAIL AND HANGER '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1939 gi l/um :tJozm Hyde.

F'L'a Feb. 4, 1941. Y

CLOTHES BASKET BAIL AND HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1959 Patented Feb. 4:, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an attachment for a clothes basket and more particularly to a combined bail and handle constituting means by which'the basket can be carried from a laundry and then suspended from a clothes line. It will thus be seen that a basket of damp clothes can be suspended from a clothes line where it will be convenient to reach and clothes removed therefrom and hung upon the line without it being necessary to lean over while removing the clothes from the basket.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which can be easily applied to or removed from the handles of a basket l5 and thus transferred from one basket to another.

Another object of the invention is to provide the device with handle engaging hooks having latches associated with them which are of such formation that while the hooks can be easily engaged with the handles of a basket, accidental detachment of the hooks from the handles will be prevented.

Another object of the invention is to so apply the latches to the bail that they will serve to strengthen the bail, which is formed of twisted wire, and it to sustain the weight of a basket filled with damp clothes.

Another object of the invention is to provide the bail with a line engaging hook adapted to be easily engaged with the clothes line and slid therealong so that the basket of clothes may be shifted along the line where it will be out of the way while hanging clothes from the line. It will thus be seen that the basket of clothes, when once suspended from a clothes line, need not be removed therefrom. during hanging of the clothes and transferred to another position but can be merely shifted along the clothes line until the end of the clothes line is reached and then transferred to another line.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a bail having a pair of line-engaging hooks, one hook carrying a roller to rest upon the clothes line so that the basket may be easily slid along the line when the other hook is moved to a raised position by tilting the bail upwardly from one end. i

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation showing a basket equipped with the improved bail and hanger and suspended from a clothes line.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a basket equipped with suspending means of a modified 5 structure.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing another modified form of bail and hanger applied to a different form of basket.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in elevation of the bail shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view of the end portion of the bail in Fig. 4, the view being taken looking at the end of the bail.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a hook formed of a metal strip and carrying a roller, this hook 1 being intended to take the place of the hook shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or used as a roller carrying hook in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 5, illustrating a 15 modified form of latch.

Fig. 8 is a view looking at Fig. '7 from the right hand side.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the basket carrying hooks shown in Fig. 3. 20,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the hangers shown in Fig. 2.

The basket I represents a basket of conventional formation provided with wire handles 2 so that when a quantity of clothes 3 is placed in 25 the basket, the basket can be carried to a yard and the clothes hung upon a clothes line 4, as shown at 5. Any basket having two opposed handles may be used in place of the basket shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an example of a modified form of 30 basket being shown in Fig. 3, where the basket 5 is of oval formation when viewed in top plan and provided with handles 1 at its ends.

' The combined bail and hanger B is formed of strong wire initially having the form of a loop. 35 This wire loop has a portion bent and twisted to form a line engaging hook having a wide bill I!) and a twisted shank I After forming the hook 9, the wire loop is collapsed to provide arms l2 extending from opposite sides of the hook, and 40 a strand of wire 13 is disposed longitudinally of the bail and, together with the arms l2, twisted as shown in Fig. 4. The strand l3 will thus serve to reinforce the arms of the bail and permit it to support the weight of a basket filled with damp .45 clothes without bending out of shape.

The portions of the wire loop forming end portions of the arms l2 are spread somewhat and bent to form hooks 14 having bills 15 at their lower ends for engaging through the handles 2 of 50 the basket I. End portions of the strand I3 protrude from the bail in spaced relation to ends of its twisted arms and are bent to form resilient keepers I6 which extend longitudinally of the hooks l4 and, at their-extremities, are bent back as upon themselves to form blunt ends [1. These blunt ends extend between the spaced arms of the shanks of the hooks M and bear against upper ends of the bills of these hooks. While the ends of the keepers normally bear against ends of the bills of the hooks M, the keepers may be sprung away from the bills of the hooks when the hooks are passed through the handles and then spring back into place to retain the hooks in engagement with the handles. The bail can then be grasped and employed as means for carrying the basket of clothes or it may be swung down beside the basket and the basket carried by its handles 2. Upon reaching the clothes line, the hook 9 will be engaged with the line and the basket of clothes will be suspended from the line. The clothes may then be removed from the basket without stooping or leaning over and it will be a great deal easier to hang the clothes upon the clothes line. As the clothes are hung upon the line, the basket will be slid along the line where it will be out of the way and, upon reaching the end of a line, the basket may be transferred to another line.

Instead of forming the keepers from a single strand of wire which is twisted with the portions of a loop forming the arms of the bail, they may be formed from separate strands, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this embodiment, the keepers are each formed from a strand of wire which, for a portion of its length, is woven into the twisted portions of the wire loop forming the arms of the bail, as shown at I8. The wire strand extends downwardly from its attaching portion l8 to form the shank 19 of the keeper and is then bent through the companion hook M, as

.shown at 20, and longitudinally thereof, as shown at 2|, and outwardly to form a bill 22 corresponding to the bill of the keeper l6 and engaging the bill I5 of the hook I4. The bill 22 slopes downwardly and, therefore, the handle of the basket can be snapped into the hooks and held against accidental disengagement therefrom by the keeper.

In Fig. 2, there have been shown two hangers 23 instead of a single bail for suspending the basket from a clothes line. These hangers are of duplicate construction and each is formed from a strand of wire doubled midway its length and bent to form a line engaging hook 24. After forming the hook 26, the portions of the strand extending therefrom are twisted together, as shown in Fig. 10, and their end portions disposed in diverging relation to each other to form arms 25 terminating in rounded hooks or open rings 26 for engagement with the handle of the basket.

When the hooks 24 of the two hangers are engaged with the clothes line, the basket will be suspended at two points spaced from each other longitudinally of the clothes line and prevented from having swinging movement longitudinally of the line. This will also reduce likelihood of the basket unintentionally sliding along the clothes line. By raising one hanger, the basket may be easily slid along the clothes line and the hanger then lowered into engagement with the line or, if so desired, the two hangers may be grasped and shifted along the clothes line when shifting of the basket is desired.

The basket 6 shown in Fig. 3 is larger than the basket I, and, while it has been stated-that this basket is of oval formation, it will be obvious that it may be of any desired shape. The bail or hanger 21' is of greater length than the bail 8, as it is to extend longitudinally of the large basket 6 with the hooks 23 at its ends engaged with the handles 1 of the basket. These hooks are similar to the hooks M, as will be seen by comparing Fig. 9 with Fig. 5, but the arms 29 are spread further apart than the arms of the hooks [4 in order to provide a wide bill 30 for engagement with the handles of the basket. The latch or keeper 3| with which each hook 28 is provided, is formed from a strand of resilient wire having one end anchored to the bail at upper ends of the arms 29 of the hook with which the keeper is associated, as shown at 32. The wire strand extends downwardly longitudinally of the hook to form a shank 33 terminating in an upturned portion 34 and the wire strand is then coiled about the bridge of the bill 39 of the hook to form a spring sleeve 35. After forming the sleeve 35, the wire strand is bent to form a cross head or bill 36 having an outwardly projecting heel portion 31. The bill 36 extends toward the shank 33 for engaging over the handle of the basket and when it is so engaged, the handle will be prevented from accidentally slipping out of engagement with the hook of the bail. By pressing upon the heel or grasping the shank and exerting inward pull on the bill, the bill will be tilted about the bridge of the bill 39 of the hook 28 and moved to such a position that the hook can be engaged with the basket handle. The bill or cross head will then resume its normal position shown in Fig. 3, and the hook maintained in engagement with the basket handle until the cross head is again swung outwardly for detachment of the hook from the basket handle.

In addition to the line engaging hook 38 corresponding to the line engaging hook 9, the bail 21 has been provided with a hook 39. This hook is formed from a strip of sheet metal having one end bent to form a sleeve 49 through which a portion of the bail passes. held in the sleeve so that the hook extends upwardly therefrom. The upper end portion of the metal strip is bent to form the hooked portion 4| at the upper end of the shank 42 and this hooked portion is formed with an elongated bill 43 so that a roller 44 may be rotatably mounted in the hook by means of a pin 45. The hook 39 is spaced from the hook 33 longitudinally of the bail and, when these hooks are engaged over the clothes line, the basket will be suspended by a two point suspension, as shown in Fig. 3. By tilting the bail upwardly at one end, the hook 38 may be shifted upwardly out of engagement with the clothes line and since the roller of the hook 39 remains in engagement with the line,

the basket can be easily slid along the line. The hook 38 will then be again engaged with the line and frictional engagement between the hook and the line will prevent free sliding movement of the basket along the clothes line.

The hook shown in Fig. 6 may not only be used as shown in this figure but may also be used in lieu of the hook 9 of the bail shown in Figs. 1 and 4, if so desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a bail formed from a wire loop having a portion bent to form a hook for engaging a clothes line, the loop being collapsed and twisted to form arms extending from opposite sides of said hook and having their end portions bent to form hooks having transversely spaced portions for engaging handles of a basket, and wire strands intertwisted with the portions of the loop forming said The ball is tightly arms and having portions extending therefrom longitudinally of the hooks at ends of the arms and coiled about bills of the hook and bent to form cross heads having portions extending inwardly across the hOOks for retaining the hooks in engagement with the basket handles.

2. A device of the character described comprising a bail formed of twisted wire and curved longitudinally and having hooks at its ends formed with upstanding bills for engaging handies of a basket, and wire strands extending longitudinally of said bail and intertwisted with the wire forming the bail, end portions of said strands extending from the bail longitudinally of the hooks and being coiled about bills of the hooks and bent to form cross heads tiltable into and out of position for retaining the hooks in engagement with the basket handles, and a hook extending upwardly from the bail for engaging a clothes line and suspending the bail and a basket from the clothes line.

3. A device of the character described comprising a bail curved longitudinally, hooks at ends of said bail for engaging handles of a basket, a hook extending upwardly from said bail intermediate the length thereof for engaging a clothes line and suspending the bail and a basket from the clothes line, and a second hook carried by said bail and extending upwardly therefrom in spaced relation to the first line engaging hook,

prising a bail curved longitudinally, hooks at ends of said bail for engaging handles of a basket, a hook extending upwardly from said ball intermediate the length thereof for engaging a clothes line and suspending the bail and a basket from the clothes line, and a keeper for each basket engaging hook formed from a strand of resilient Wire having its upper end portion anchored to said bail, said strand extending longitudinally of the companion hook and bent to form a helical sleeve fitting about the bill of the hook, said strand having a portion extending upwardly from the helical sleeve and bent to form a cross head having an inwardly extending portion constituting a bill for the keeper and an outwardly extending portion constituting a heel adapted to be pressed upon to swing the cross head about the bill of the hook to open position.

JOHN HYDE. 

